Implementation Science and Human Service Organizations Research: Opportunities and Challenges for Building on Complementary Strengths

Implementation science (IS) and human service organizations (HSO) research both explore service quality and organizational impact in service of producing actionable evidence for leaders and managers. We believe there is potential to improve HSO quality and impact by working at the intersection of IS and HSO research. However, the strategic opportunities for integrating the unique strengths of these fields have not yet been fully explored, articulated, or leveraged. As HSOs encounter more pressure to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs), and IS continues to expand into new settings, now is the time for dialogue and collaboration among scholars in both fields. In this commentary, we share our vision for collaborative research that improves service quality and HSO impact. We discuss several strategic learning opportunities presented by this disciplinary intersection, identify specific recommendations for drawing on HSO and IS for study design, and consider challenges that face this research agenda.